“Show, don’t tell” are possibly the most troublesome three words writers have to deal with. And yet, if done well, those three words will make our NaNoWriMo stories resonate with our readers like nothing else can. We’re halfway through NaNoWriMo with Seth and Scintilla Studio! Last week we helped expand your definition of “Write What…

We writers are often told to “write what we know,” which usually means that we should write based on personal experiences. But how does that work when you’re writing a medieval fantasy story? Or a historical fiction piece set in 1885? Welcome to Week Two of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) at Scintilla Studio! I’m…

My name is Seth, and I’ve been trying to write the same novel for five years. This month, I’m going to finish it. Welcome to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) at Scintilla Studio! My name is Seth, guest writer for Scintilla and your guide throughout the month of November as we write. Yes, ‘we.’ I’ll…

“I don’t think I could ever play Dungeons & Dragons,” I said. “That seems like crossing a line, maybe going a little too far for me.” My party’s Paladin is fond of reminding me I said that. About two years ago I crossed the last nerd threshhold and played my first game of Dungeons &…

“The Blueberry is pretty sensitive,” the audio engineer told me, adjusting the height of the little black microphone. “Keep it at about your chin so we can avoid harsh plosives.” Bare bulbs and wood paneling surrounded me, and my own voice was crisp through my headphones. My friends over at Stalwart Theater had asked me…

You’ve just finished the colossal task of writing a novel in a month! Congratulations! After devoting so much of your time, energy, and determination to this adventure, you have a right to feel euphoric. And maybe a little let down that it’s all over. The word counts are in, the project is over. It’s time…

*Disclaimer: This post contains referral links, denoted by an asterisk. With a week to go in NaNoWriMo, it’s crunch time. If you aren’t where you expected or want to be in your novel journey, you’ll need to start wrapping up NaNoWriMo. It may take some gearing up to finish your 50,000 by the 30th! NaNoWriMo…

That’s right, I failed at NaNoWriMo. In four days. World record? Probably not, but still pathetic. How did I do it? Simple! I just let myself get blocked. You don’t have to follow my example, though. Here are four ways to NOT fail at NaNoWriMo! How to (NOT) Fail at NaNoWriMo in 4 Days You start…

Writing can be a lonely pursuit. A lot of people envision someone sitting in front of a computer or scribbling on a notepad, all alone. For many writers, this couldn’t be further from the truth! A lot of successful writers collaborate or have writing buddies who give them feedback. Even J.R.R. Tolkien had The Inklings.…

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, marked with *. Lily James has it pretty good, even aside from having both of Harry Potter’s parents’ names. She seems to have a knack for getting cast in the lead for movies that reimagine classics. First she had Cinderella earlier this year. Now we’ve seen the trailer for…